MiltyG565

[quote name='mcnach' timestamp='1365759484' post='2043941'] youtube arguments: engage only for amusement purposes I had one guy, a couple of years ago or so, who took serious offense at something I said about a moronic post of his and he kept adding comments to my comment and then sending me messages. This was both in English and Spanish, both of very poor quality... I had a little bit of fun winding him up, but he was too easy a target and I got bored soon. He continued to send me messages for a while after I gave up... [/quote] Ha! It's genuinely funny that this guy was such a Lemmy fan, that he thought you had to have Lemmy gear, but didn't understand any of the reasoning behind it. Why would you use distortion because it cuts all the low end? why not just EQ it out? and then why also use 18 inch speakers, which will just make it more bassy? I would choose any GK cab over any 18" cab any day of the week.

[quote name='Dave Vader' timestamp='1365711546' post='2043447'] Me too. And he said up to a point. Once everything else is thrown into the mix, the brand makes less difference than you'd think. Gauge, and flat/round make a difference (though still less than you'd think) the age of the bloody things does though. [/quote] You need to read my reply after that one

BT sets on guitar do indeed throw the setup out the window. My A string now sits lower than all the other strings. And because the floating trem is such a temperamental thing, it throws the entire bridge out. It's not something you couldn't sort in a few minutes with an allen key and a screwdriver though. I've just left mine, because i'll probably not buy balanced tension next time.

[quote name='charic' timestamp='1365688088' post='2042934'] They're playing funk, they're already open to abuse [/quote] OOOH! You said it!

[quote name='KevB' timestamp='1365698709' post='2043197'] I doubt I could tell the difference from any of them listening to a live gig in all honesty. I can understand the 'feel' side of things entirely though, it wouldn't matter how expensive a set was, if it felt uncomfortable and likely to put me off my stroke I wouldn't have them on my bass. I'm currently trying out some £6 sets of roundwounds I picked up on ebay a while ago. Had a set on my jazz for a couple of months with no detereoration to my ears yet (I don't have a lab ). In the same period I've just ditched a set of Fender strings on my precision that were three times the price as they've gone a bit dead. I've now put a set of the ultra cheapo ones on the P as well to see how they fare with some propper gigging. [/quote] I wouldn't say there was a big difference when all in the mix, especially since so much EQing goes on live so that everything sounds good together, but there is a difference in the sound of strings, a big difference. Personally, I prefer the sound of D'Addario. The thing I like about D'Addario is that all their strings have the same ring to them, so if you want a flat sound, you can have it, but still get that brilliant D'Addario ring. The thing I like about Ernie Balls are the sheer sleekness of them. Slinky's are so easy to play on, and they last a good while too, but I prefer the sound of the D'Addarios. I've played GHS nickel wound strings before that went dead in a month, and they cost me £23! That was the first and last time I made that mistake. I've yet to play a string that has a tone and durability better than D'Addario. My teacher had a set ProSteels on for a year before changing them, and they were still pretty bright when he took them off!

[quote name='KevB' timestamp='1365695641' post='2043112'] After using god knows how many different brands of varying prices over the last 20-odd years of playing I'm frankly not convinced they actually do make that much of a difference (as long as it is a sensible comparison eg roundwound vs roundwound not roundwound vs flatwound). I'd be interested for someone to set up a blind audio sample test with different manufacturers strings all of the same style and gauge and on the same bass run through the same rig played by the same player. Could we tell the difference between the £6 set and the £30 set?. Each set would realistically be run on the same bass for 6 months and played as often. One sound sample when freshly strung and another 6 months down the line to see how each set wears with equivalent use. Probably been done but not seen or heard the data personally. [/quote] You have 20 years experience and you think that strings DON'T make a difference? [quote name='megallica' timestamp='1365695719' post='2043117'] Me too, they sounded really dull right out of the packet. I suppose how long your £14 set of strings will last depends on how you play, how often you play and how much you sweat [/quote] I usually just practice by playing a few RHCP covers or improvise over another song. It's rare that I do anything more than that now. There was a time about a year ago when I was playing about 10 hours a week, but that's not the case anymore. My ProSteels have been on since the beginning of the year and still sound really bright. Rotos would have been dead and in the bin at this point.

[quote name='charic' timestamp='1365685007' post='2042857'] Unwashed sock [/quote] Leaves them wide open to abuse

The flippant skyscraper rocketeers.

or, in lay-mans terms - fizzy rain.

effervescent precipitation.

[quote name='xilddx' timestamp='1365683128' post='2042798'] You need to read Dave's post again mate [/quote] I don't I understood it. I reckon guitar strings should last a good few months, especially if you are just a home player, like me. I can hear the difference in guitar strings. Admittedly, it's not as noticeable a difference as bass, but it is a difference. My school also used to buy incredibly horrible cheap strings which were just the epitome of awful.

[quote name='Dave Vader' timestamp='1365681190' post='2042744'] To be fair though, bass strings make a huge amount of difference to your tone, whereas in 25 years of playing guitar, I have only heard ever so tiny differences between different guitar strings, and like Nige, go for long lasting and cheap (rotosound rotos, 10-52 if you're wondering, come with a free spare top E as well, and are long enough to be tied back together at least once if they break at the bridge.) I occasionally buy different and interesting strings, only to be disappointed. Particularly with acoustic strings, they all lose tone after a few hours of my big sweaty paws all over them, and the cheap ones sound just as nice for those few hours. Lots and cheap is the name of the game for guitars, change them as often as you can afford. [/quote] I very much disagree. Strings make a big difference, at least as much as an amp does, and more than the pickups do. I've used rotosound rotos on my basses before, and I wasn't pleased. They are OK to begin with, but they die a death after about a month. I don't gig, and I only play a few hours a week, so why is a set of strings going dead in a month? The only thing which led me to buying more was the price, and the fact that I couldn't afford more expensive ones, which is obviously a false economy. I never use them anymore, and I've heard a couple other people having bad experiences with them too. Maybe their more expensive strings are better, but even a £14 set of strings should last more than a month, am I not right? I won't buy cheap strings. I just won't. It's a false economy, i've done it, I wasn't pleased, and I won't be doing it again.

[quote name='Wil' timestamp='1365679226' post='2042700'] They don't sound quite like any steel strings I've tried. I've been using them for years now so hard to directly compare, all I can say is they sound so good I've never been tempted away from them. I was hopping between brands all the time before. [/quote] My bass teacher told me about gold strings he used before. He said they sounded excellent, but because of the price, he would rather get ProSteels, because they were the closest sounding at half the price. That's what I was told anyway.

[quote name='Coilte' timestamp='1365679136' post='2042697'] OK, I accept your point. What I am getting at is, people dissing ( not yourself, I am talking generally) other people's tone, just for the sake of it. [/quote] Nobody has dissed anything dude, it's just a general exchange of ideas, and I would rather not see another thread descend in to yet another argument.

[quote name='gjones' timestamp='1365678771' post='2042688'] If you listen to Paul McCartney's sound in Let It Be, when he's just noodling on his own, it's revolting. Just a big wet farting noise from that horrible little Hofner. But when it's integrated within the tracks somehow it sounds great. [/quote] Listening to nearly any bass mixed to be in a full band track sounds horrible when taken out of that mix.

[quote name='xilddx' timestamp='1365678038' post='2042674'] What's the difference in timbre with your ProSteels compared to a cheaper alternative? And what gauge? I use D'Addario 9-42 on my Strat, it sounds great. I have also read from an expert on Gibsons that many players go for higher gauges on their Gibbos to get better tone, but if you have a great guitar in the first place it will sound great with even 8-40s, only poor guitars need heavier gauges. [/quote] I found with a set of 11's on my acoustic, i could downtune the low E by an octave no problem. I wasn't downtuning, but i restrung and had tuned it in the wrong octave. I say the only reason for heavier strings is for the extra bass in them. I was advised against lighter strings for my acoustic because the tone wouldn't be as nice. On my electric, I had a set of 12's prosteels I believe. They were really good, but my issue was that as a complete novice, they weren't as easy to play on as nickel plated 9's, so that's what I have now. I'll go back to prosteels someday though, because I like a good clean tone. They'll be really good for funk and reggae.

What really gets me though, is guitarists. They attribute all their tone to the amp, or the pickup, which does make a difference to their tone, but the biggest change they could make is strings. First set of guitar strings I got from my local was a set of prosteels, and the guy was really shocked that i had bought them, and says even now, over 6 months down the line, nobody has bought any more prosteels for guitar. He said guitarists just buy the standard strings, and don't even think about the difference a different set of strings would make to their tone. That's the moment he knew I was a bassist, when I bought prosteels for a guitar

[quote name='mike257' timestamp='1365677113' post='2042649'] I can imagine they'd struggle to get those guys schedules to line up enough to play even one or two shows! [/quote] True!

[quote name='spongebob' timestamp='1365673114' post='2042565'] Ditto Lemmy - I love Motorhead, but I'm not a big fan of his bass tone since the early '90s! [/quote] Some idiot on YouTube argued with me one day about bass tone. He basically said distortion was a good thing, because it cuts all the low end, but then said you [i]need [/i]to use 18inch speakers, and not some "4x10 gallien krueger POS". This was on a Lemmy video. I just decided the guy was clearly too stupid to even understand what he was saying.

Cheers guys! I wondered myself how much input the other guys had, and i think you can hear a definite Flea thing in the bass. However, they have absolutely zero input in the live shows, that's just Thom and Nigel. They just use their recorded parts live, which is a bit of a downer, I think.

[quote name='steve-bbb' timestamp='1365663154' post='2042414'] FUNKEH KITTEH [/quote] Imagine it said by Johnny Vegas.

[quote name='risingson' timestamp='1365633469' post='2042278'] Nice to read, I'm glad you've chosen this over the newest Marcus Miller release that basically no one but a cross-section of bass players will listen to! I like the album a lot. [/quote] I've never once listened to Marcus Miller. And that, my friends, is what we call social suicide.

[quote name='mcnach' timestamp='1365632612' post='2042270'] can't do that, our singer lisps. No he doesn't [/quote] Ha!

The jungle gym jamboree. Hilt Hammer. Groove machine silver lining. the mighty McNach band. Free Pint.

The shiny shoe brigade.